Sandspur, Vol. 07, No. 01, 1901

THE SAND-SPUR.

•'STICK TO IT"

VOL. 7. NO. 1, 1901.

Published by The Delphic. Debating Society.

ROLLINS COLLEGE. WINTER PARK. FLA.

PfiFSS OF TNE SENTlHSUStPORTin,
QRLANOQ, FLA,

THE WINDS.

Out of the North the wind blew screaming
A hurry and flurry of snow*

The jingle of bells and the stars* cold gleaming,
The red of the hearth-Are glow.

Out of the East the wind came singing,

The rythm was bold and free*

The hiss of rain in the wave-troughs bringing,
The blast in the rigging at sea.

KNOWLES HALL,

Out of the West the wind came winging
A melody all the day long,

The sound of scythes in the tall grain swinging,
The lilt of a harvest song,

Out of the South the winds came soughing,

The rythm was soft and low T ,

The song of a bird and a breeze's wooing,

The scent of a rose ablow*

—F. L. Dickenson.

SOME FACTORS OF SUCCESS.

Reading and observation suggest the elements of success*
This is a comparative term, yet so plain it needs no defining,
Success is not fame. Tile twenty-nine names already
chosen to be inscribed in the Hall of Fame henceforth
will be pre-eminently visible. These names have more dignity
than the names of private Smith and farmer Jones, whose
sphere is small and whose labor common* All famous men
have been successful; but all successful men are not famous*
Ambitious youths are more interested in how success may be
attained than in just what it is* Mirabeau lias said* “Why
should we feel ourselves to be men, unless it lie to succeed in
everything, everywhere. You must say of nothing, That is
beneath me, nor feel that anything can be out of your power*
Nothing is impossible to the man who can will. Is that nec¬
essary? That shall be:—this is the only law of success. 11
This law adhered to, will bring out the best in a man* But it
is constantly modified by individual limitations* The eagle
soars whereso'er it pleases, Man is bound to the earth; he
cannot get away* He may or may not 1>e endowed with great
powers ; “the gate of gifts has closed behind him.* 1 Yet
while men arc bound by their own limitations, they are free to
succeed within their boundaries* If man is ordinarily a pend¬
ant to events, awkwardly and but half attached to them ; vet he
can, by force of character and exercise of latent power conquer
circumstances and control the events vital to himself. The
poet Campbell said that a man accustomed to work, was equal
to any achievement he resolved on* and that for himself, ne¬
cessity, not inspiration, was the prompter of his muse.

Events may so conspire as to make an opportunity which
one person may see but respond to so slowly that it pas*ses
unused. Another with more alacrity, sei/.eS the opportunity
and hastens on to fame* A man of positive power will not

6

THE SAND-SPUR .

wait for events to open a door, but will make a way for him*
self. Garfield says, “Things don’t turn up in this world until
somebody turns them up/ 1 If you want ati opportunity, make
it. Make it as did the shepherd boy Ferguson, as did George
Stephenson, as did Napoleon in a hundred situations to timid
men impossible. But these men are rare. It is no less possi-
ble to succeed by seizing opportunities ; in fact, many more
men succeed by stepping in at the right time. “There is a
tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on
to fortune.” Every life is full of opportunities that may l>e
improved by prompt, earnest, and zealous action. How price-
less is every responsibility thrust upon strength and honor !
Florence Nightingale found in war, the great evil, her oppor¬
tunity* Elizabeth Fry recognized her opportunity in New¬
gate, where m a single ward, she saw three or four hundred
women, old and young, and even little girls huddled together
awaiting trial. A just tribute to Mrs. Frye is that, in four
score years, her plan of prison reform has been adopted through¬
out the civilized world. True success crowns the hero on the
field of peace. In times of quiet, evil influences of a subtle na¬
ture work rapidly to undermine the state. Every storm is
preceded by a calm. Worthy are the men and women who
discern these evils and crush them as they arise. That is the
true success which works unceasingly to eradicate evil.

Many a man or woman might double his or her influence
and success by being more sympathetic. Kindly courtesy and
winning manners, who can measure their power ! They pro¬
cure for their possessor admission to all ranks of society ; gain
favor in all spheres of activity ; and contribute more to the joy
of the world than all mere material possessions. Someone has
said that when Dickens entered a room it was like the kindling
of a big fire, by which every one was warmed. Madame de
vSlael possessed such exquisite manners, that her presence was
like the sunshine, and “when she had passed it was like the
ceasing of exquisite music/' With the magic of her indefin¬
able tact and grace, she shaped careers and defied Napoleon at
the height of his power, Madame de Stael was not at all

THE SAND-SPUR.

7

beautiful. A fine manner more than atones for defects of na¬
ture. The most fascinating person is never the one of greatest
physical beauty, but the one of most charming manners.
“Handsome is as handsome does/ 1 says the old maxim. But
kindly manners, to be effective must be genuine, the outward
expression of character ; mere politeness can never be a sub¬
stitute for moral excellence. Courtesy is the natural expres¬
sion of a lofty soul.

Character is the basis of all true success. It works in the
smallest affairs and private relations. It is the prime factor,
the incomputable agent in all cases. Who studies the secret
of the power of Napoleon learns that it was force within the
man ; that power drew men of all ranks to him and compelled
them to be his servants.

Byron says: “The spirit of a single mind makes that of
multitudes take one direction, as roll the waters to the breath¬
ing wind.” Power is the goal of success. Political influence
and titles of honor have been bought and have perished with
the purchaser. Others have gained both by merit of character.
Altho’ the bodies of Luther, Washington, and Gladstone are
dust, yet tlieir names are synonyms for worth, and their influ¬
ence grows with the passing years. The deeds of these men
reveal only the smallest part of their personal weight,

Emerson says : “The largest part of their power was
latent. This is that which we call character—a reserved force
which acts directly by presence and without means. M The
true measure of a man is not what he possesses, but what he is
and does. Voltaire said that lie knew of no great men except
those who have rendered great services to the human race.
Force of character is measured by resistance of circumstances.
Poverty has been the greatest blessing to many a youth. Many
noble characters have risen to eminence thro combat with ad¬
versity.

Another factor of success is self-reliance. The Bible
teaches us not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought
to think. We need to test our ability with the utmost care
before we depend upon it. Yet no one can be a better judge

8

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of individual powers than the individual himself. One sets
his own stamp and the world rates him accordingly. Every
new company or society into which he enters, looks into his
face and observes his manners to discover his estimate of him¬
self. Every person owes it to himself to place the highest
estimate consistent with truth, upon his own powers. William
Pitts said to the Duke of Devonshire, “I am sure that I can save
this country, and that nobody else can.” That was not a vain
boast, for he did save it. When John C. Calhoun was ridi¬
culed for his hard study in Vale College, he replied, “Why,
sir, I am forced to make the most of my time that I may
acquit myself credibly when in Congress.” The boys laughed
and he exclaimed, “ Do you doubt it? I assure you if I were
not convinced of my ability to reach the national capital as a
representative within the next three years, I would leave col¬
lege this very day!” This speech was not egotism ; it was
but a loyal recognition of his own power, proved by his subse¬
quent career. Nothing is more paralyzing to personal
advancement and usefulness than an utter lack of self-
confidence. He is already defeated who thinks he can do
nothing. He who thinks he can is already strengthened for
the contest ; the victory is won and the reward received ere the
doubtful has made up his mind to action. Self-assertion is
positively essential to success in the higher spheres of activity,
but this presupposes a “self” to be asserted. That self is
moral character. Without that to begin with, what at first
seems to be real advancement is soon found to be only apparent.
The eyes of the world see clearly ; and sooner or later all
affectation falls as a sorry mantle, leaving him who wore it
exposed to just ridicule. This is a busy world, a lively age,
and men have no time to hunt about in obscure corners for
retiring merit. The world will take a man at his own estimate
until he proves himself unworthy. All know how the world
admires courage and manliness, and despises a young man who
goes about “with an air of perpetual apology for the un¬
pardonable sin of being in the world.” If you would succeed,
believe in vourself.

THE SAND-SPUR .

9

Emerson declares that M The one prudence in life is con¬
centration ; the one evil is dissipation; and it makes no
difference whether our dissipations are coarse or fine. * * *
You must elect your work ; you shall take what your brain
can, and drop all the rest. Only so can that amount of vital
force accumulate which can make the step from knowing to
doing. Concentration is the secret of strength in politics, in
war, in trade, in short in all management of human affairs. One
of the high anecdotes of the world is the reply of Newton to
the inquiry M how he had been able to achieve his discoveries ? 1 *
By always intending my mind.”

Persistency, as a factor of success, must not be disregarded.
It is the long pull, the steady pull that wins. For a steady
light a candle is better than a meteor. Seven miles of hard
limestone have yielded to the erosive force of Niagara Falls.
It would require volumes to narrate the achievements of patient
labor ; the pyramids of Egypt and the great wall of China are
monuments not of tyranny alone, but also of persistence.
Annihilated space and the harnessed lightning, wonders of the
nineteenth century, have been achieved by persistent effort.
In fact, the great lesson of difficulty is the necessity of re*
doubled exertion ; of danger to give us fresh courage; of
impossibilities to inspire us to the enforcement of victory.

“The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight,

But they, while their companions slept,

Were toiling upward in the night. 1 *

W. Byron Hathaway.

A BRIDGE BUILDER.

Rudyard Kipling's greatest story is the “ Bridge Builders,”
And great is the bridge builder, for he cau make as the tiniest
rill at one's feet, the great, yawning, foaming floods, with

IO

THE SAND-SPUE.

their untold capacity for ruin and destruction in their hurling
depths.

Ludlow, as a boy, had about this idea of a man who could
build a bridge. His grandfather had built bridges in the old
time when the only metal about a bridge was in the cumber¬
some hand made nails, and these were not always used, for
oaken pins were nearly as good. Not that the bridges were
not good ; they were, and are, for many of them are still in
service. Ludlow’s father was a school teacher who always
apologized. He grounded the boy well in mathematics, which
is the best thing to lx? said of him. and soon died. The boy
never apologized, hated a country school, and determined to
be a bridge builder. After a while, when he had saved money
enough to cover the expenses of the long-desired year at a
technical school, he had an acute attack of “go” fever. He
started West; the hard-earned school money was broken into
for transportation. The usual thing that happens to any man
who starts for any place expecting to find there much money
for the plucking, happened to him. He went broke, and
finally felt himself the luckiest fellow in the country when he
picked up a job on a railroad surveying party as axeman,
taking the place of a man who had the bad, or good luck to
fall ill at the last moment. Thereafter he used an axe until
his proficiency was something wonderful, for he believed in
mastering everything he undertook, and he had months of the
practice which is said to make perfect.

The men for whom he was working were of the very best
sort, generous and optimistic, hard workers and of clean lives.
They were not slow to discover that the new axeman could do
something more than cut brush. And in the evenings Ludlow
would do the drudgery of the never ending mathematical
calculations necessary in the work. Later he did the clerical
work cf the outfit, and even some independent work, which
placed him almost on an equal footing with his chiefs. Then
he advanced a step or two in the clearly defined grades of pro¬
motion peculiar to an engineering party on important but
isolated work. His work was not easy. He did not have a

THE SAND-SPUR .

it

Wellsbach light and an easy chair to make the evening’s work
with his papers rest and relaxation. He sat down on a log
or box by the fire and pencilled and pencilled until his eyes
ached and he wished he could change places with the cook
on the other side of the fire, who was preparing the early
breakfast, for they turned out before it was really morning,
But through the day he looked forward to the restful evening
by the fire, for there were things that made life miserable hi
the daytime, as poisonous plants and mosquitoes. Also there
were grizzlies, and curious, brownish black bears who would
look at him a minute, and then go bounding off over the brush
like a rabbit jumping over long grass. At first lie carried a
revolver which he had bought on his way out to the new
country, for his only impressions of the West had been obtained
from newspaper accounts, and these had been particularly
lurid just before his departure.

The cook, who was neither a negro nor a Frenchman
with a waxed mustache, but a great six-footed, red-shirted
plainsman, watched the operation with an indulgent smile.
“Lord, man, where did you get that tinwah toy? 11 said he,
going to the back of the supply wagon and pulling out an
ugly old black barrelled Colt that looked big enough to swal¬
low the “timvah toy/’ lock, stock, and barret “Now that is
what I call a gun, M He didn’t even wipe it off on his sleeve,
(Ludlow had been rubbing his “toy” with a clean red hand¬
kerchief,) but to ssed itback on to the blankets in the wagon.
After that Ludlow did not carry his nice new nickel-plated re¬
volver, and when he soon had a chance to trade it for a second¬
hand field book, he felt much relieved to get rid of what
might have been almost a white elephant on his hands.

Once Ludlow undertook to carry the mail down the val¬
ley to the nearest post office, forty miles distant. The party
had broken their own trail, for the country was absolutely
new, except for hunters and the like. A few miles below the
camp, the trail crossed the river at a convenient ford and kept
on the right hand side of the river all the way down.

He started out with a blanket and the waterproof package

12

THE SAND-SPUR.

containing the letters, a small can of corned beef, and a few
very heavy saleratus biscuit. The cook had been ill, and one
of the helpers had tried his ’prentice hand at cooking. Ludlow
said afterwards that the biscuit were the heaviest things in his
outfit. He carried no weapon, for the cook and axemen and
helpers carried guns only when they went to town on pay day,
and they would have laughed if he had wanted a weapon for this
little jaunt in the woods. Besides he did not like to borrow,
for he never apologized, and borrowing is an aggravated form
of apology.

He reached the ford about noon, and found the river too
high to be crossed and still rising. He ate dinner and waited
for something to turn up, either a boat or a party with horses;
for often prosj)ective speculators followed the route of the sur¬
veyors to pick out desirable bits of real estate along the line,
and the river could yet be crossed on horseback. No luck of
that sort was in store for him ; in the middle of the afternoon,
he turned down stream to follow the narrow strip of land
between the river and the foot of the steep bluff. Along this
the river flowed until it met a tributary, which by centuries of
constant wear had destroyed the bluff and distributed it piece¬
meal along the way, making a broader valley with gently
sloping sides. In an ordinary stage of water there was a
narrow strip of beach along the river’s edge, making fairly
good traveling for a woodsman. Now the higher water forced
him back into the nearly impenetrable underbrush at the foot of
the bluff. That afternoon he made four miles. He knew it
was four miles, for step by step he had worked up the other
side of the river and every landmark was familiar. He had
biscuit and beef for supper in a little open place at the foot of
the bluff, up as far as he could go, localise he was afraid the
river might rise in the night. The sputtering of the raindrops
cn his fire awakened him from his first sleep, and the water
streaming from the rim of his soft felt hat under his coat
collar was very cold indeed Ludlow had l)een in the woods
long enough not to mind this very much, and he was well
hardened to all sorts of weather, so his chief anxietv was for

THE SAND SPUR.

the letters, He wrapped the precious bundle in his blanket
and fixed it securely in the tree above him, heaped up his fire
with the wet wood, and went to sleep in the rain. Next morn¬
ing tile rain had stopped, but the woods were wet and cold.
The can of beef was full of rain water, but he poured it out,
ate enough of the beef to neutralize the sodden biscuit, and
started on. His progress was very slow, for the woods were
thick with vines and fallen trees, which had collected the
floating debris of a large river at high water, forming en¬
tanglements and barriers that were well nigh impassable. To
add to his troubles, every little while lie caught a glimpse of
the well broken road on the other side, carefully cleared of
trees and brush, a road rough and hilly, but which had the
redeeming feature of being absolutely unswerving.

At noon he had advanced five more hard mites, and was
completely fagged out. He had more rain-soaked biscuit and
t>eef for dinner, and felt utterly discouraged when he started
into the brush again. This afternoon he lost some time bv
exploring several promising breaks in the bluff, by which be
hoped to gain the top and make better progress. But in
every case the breaks as he neared the t:p became too steep to
be passed, and he returned to the ri ver 1 eve 1 + A lxn 1 1 a n hoii r
before sundown he met one of the brownish, black hears sun¬
ning herself and playing with a cub in a sunshiny glade. The
bear started off rather hurriedly with long leaps over the brush
leaving the cub to slip along as best it could under the brush
but they both had the advantage of the man, who could neither
crawl under nor leap over. Before they were out of hearing
the bears slackened their speed, and for a time he could hear
them breaking the brush ahead. About sundown Ludlow
came to an open spot at the foot of a break in the bluff, in
which he found the tracks of the bears escaping to the woods
above. He tried to go on, for he did not like the idea of
camping for the night on that bear path, but just ahead the
woods seemed unusually dense in the twilight, so he staved
and, notwithstanding bear tracks, slept soundly through the
night.

This was about two miles from the mouth of the tributary

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THE SAND SPUR.

t>efore mentioned, which lie reached early on the morning of
the third day, out of food, for the last bit had been eaten for
a meager breakfast. Just twenty miles from camp! The
smaller stream was unfordable at its mouth, and Ludlow went
up along its hank until he found a place where the water was
atMHit to his armpits. As a precaution, for he could not swim,
he filled his blanket with a heavy load of stones, to prevent
the current, which was very swift, as in all mountain streams,
from sweeping him off his feet. Once on the other side, Lud¬
low soon struck a trail, and a few miles farther on he borrowed
a horse at a small prospecting camp, and reached the town in
time for a late but very welcome dinner at the one uninviting
hostelry. He went back next day by the trail without any
trouble, riding one of the animals in the pack train which sup¬
plied the camp, and carried a letter to one of the engineers
ordering him to the State of Washington. This was in Mon¬
tana. This engineer, for whom Ludlow had special regard,
chose him as his assistant in a new party, thus promoting him
several grades.

The work in Washington was harder, but Ludlow was
not obliged to work so hard in his advanced position. How¬
ever, disagreeable features were not lacking. At certain sea¬
sons of tlie year the rainfall is constant in some districts of the
State. And, then, on that trip the camp was changed at long
intervals, necessitating a great deal of hard tramping morning
and evening. Sometimes, when the day‘s work meant a three
hours walk in the morning, three or four hours at surveying,
and then three hours more back to camp, Ludlow would stay
out in the woods all night without supper, and wonder why
the camp was not moved more frequently. He never found
out, but always affirmed that the chief, who spent most of his
time in camp, was too indolent to have the camp changed
oftener.

The next winter he spent in Minnesota, on the line of
M Jimmy M HilFs Great Northern R’y. This time he was
running a transit, which was not very comfortable work when
the thermometer was below zero. The party lived in tents all
winter long, with the mercury way below zero most of the

THE SAND-SPL R.

15

time. It was not so bad when the snow was deep and dry,
packing around the tents, and keeping out the wind and cold ;
but before the snow eame, or when the wind had blown it
away, or the sun had melted it late in the spring, then the
cold winds found them through every mesh in the tent, and
life seemed almost an impossibility. During the long winter
evenings, the group around the stove in the Sibley tent would
squeeze as near as possible to the red hot iron box, half frozen
and half baked, sometimes playing poker, the loser to bring
in the next armful of stove wood.

But the winter passed—as winters have a habit of doing—
and with it apparently the last of Ludlow's hardships, for his
good work brought its reward, and soon he was on his way to
join another party in the interior of Mexico, One of the
young fellows in this party had an uncle, or cousin, or some¬
one else, who had a very strong pull with the powers that just
then happened to be, and consequently this fellow did not feel
the responsibility of his position as lie should, So one day he
transgressed the invisible barrier which surrounds and isolates
the women of certain tribes and castes ill interior Mexico, by
snapping with his Kodak a picturesque domestic scene on a
Mexican wash day, in which the family of the Alcade of the
neighboring village figured prominently. This in itself was
not a grievous crime, but unfortunately, the thoughtless fellow
showed one of the proofs to several of the villagers This
aroused the righteous wrath of the alcalde, or native mayor,
and he, being about nine-tenths Indian, went on the warpath
forthwith. Having some show of legal authority and absolute
control over his own village, he was in a fair way to make it
decidedly uncomfortable for the baud of Americanos, and even
to endanger seriously the Railway Company’s concession, pro¬
vided he could attract the attention of the higher authorities
to this unwarrantable and unheard of violation of his family
privacy.

In his perplexity the chief engineer went to the non-com¬
missioned officer in charge of the local detachment of rural
police. This gentleman had a few more drops of Spanish
blood in his veins than the Alcalde. 11 These natives make the

THE SAND-SPUR .

16

deace of a fuss when they get well stirred up/' he said, in a
manner meant to be comforting, “and I advise you to hustle
the offender out of the country as soon as possible.” The chief
was loth to do this, for the young fellow had been entrusted to
his care, and besides he knew that to send him home would
put him in exceedingly bad odor with the power who was
uncle, or cousin to the culprit. If it had been any one else the
chief would have fired him on the spot ; but, and then natur¬
ally it occurred to him, why not fire some one else ? He went
to Ludlow and carefully explained the situation to him f and
offered him a much better position in the States if he would
accept it immediately, and ride north out of camp that night as
if he expected to have the entire Indian village on his heels.
When the fellow with the relative, who was a power, heard of
this, he was very indignant, for he was really a very good
fellow, and he declared that he would not allow such a com¬
promise to be made at Ludlow’s expense. In spite of his
angry protests, Ludlow pulled out that night and rode hard
for the nearest border town, and reached his destination in the
States without trouble.

He had accepted this change mechanically, as the only
course open to him, and without weighing the pros and cons;
but in reality it was a blessing in disguise, tor at last he was
doing what he had always longed to do, building bridges.
And here again he made rapid progress, for his leisure hours
had been utilized in extending his knowledge of bridge build¬
ing, so he brought to Ins work an amount of timely knowledge,
which really surprised his employers. Later he worked out
an original design for controlling the river currents so that
they might not injure the bridge foundations by “scouring/'
a trick that rivers have of cutting out the earth around and be-
ueath the piers of a bridge. His lucid and convincing expla¬
nations secured for his device a trial in which it proved more
successful than even lie had claimed. This brought him a cer¬
tain degree of recognition among the bridge building fraternity ;
but he made bis reputation and established himself permanent¬
ly in the front rank of his profession on one of the big Ohio
river rail wav bridges.

THE SAND-SPUR *

7

The best bridge engineers in the country were in consul¬
tation to determine what manner of bridge should make an¬
other link between the two great sections, which the Ohio
River for ages has striven so mightily, hut vainly, to separate,
Ludlow attended the meetings at the suggestion of his chief,
in order to become thoroughly familiar with the designs of
the bridge, for he had been detailed upon the job in a sub¬
ordinate position* He studied the conditions exhaustively and
partly developed several designs adapted to their peculiari¬
ties, Several of the engineers knew him and heard of his
good work, and at one of the meetings, one of the engineers
asked his opinion upon the point in debate. It was a point
to which he had given a great deal of time and thought, and
he gave his method of overcoming the difficulties presented
clearly and frankly ; it was by far the best and simplest of them
all* Now bridge building is too serious a matter to allow
egotism or any personal consideration of age or “previous con¬
dition of servitude 1 ' to count as a factor, however small ; and so
the gray-haired experts with national reputations, who “knew
a good thing when they saw it,“ asked Ludlow to develop his
ideas more fully and to submit his designs, as soon as possible,
for more careful examination. And so it came to pass that
Ludlow built the bridge after his own design, that he took and
has held his place among the Bridge Builders of the country*
The original feature of this tale is the absence of the femi¬
nine pronoun and the attendant sentimental revelations, which
some have come to regard as the essential part of any tale,
long or short. There was one—later, but—as Kipling says,
that is another story. M* L- Brett*

The world is full of nameless heroes, of deeds of un¬
conscious heroism. Let us take heart, then, remembering that
to the lowliest lot, the narrowest sphere, there is ever open, a
field as broad and unlimited as that of the unknown widow of
Jerusalem.—L* L* R*

is

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THE FORMATION OF FLORIDA.

Very few of the many visitors who spend a few weeks
or months in Florida every season give any thought to the
topography of the state, or show the slightest interest in the
wonderful geological changes which gave this state its exist-
arice, Florida appeals to them as a land of sunshine and
flowers. But Florida is also of interest to the geologist, for
in many points it differs in formation and appearence from
any other part of our broad country. All the other peninsulas
of the continent have a distinctly mountainous character, while
Florida is composed of low flat lands rising only a few feet
above the level of the sea. The other peninsulas are coni'
posed of old rocks, while Florida shows many evidences of a
com para 1 1 vel y reee nt fo rtn ati 011 .

The origin of this peculiar fold or uplift rising out of the
deep waters of the Atlantic and the Gulf is naturally the first
point that attracts our attention. Different theories have
been advanced from time to time to account for it, but until
recently none has been found that has proven satisfactory.
According to Prof. Shaler, of Harvard and other eminent
authorities, Florida is simply the uplifted bottom of the sea.
It is a well known tact that the portion of the ocean now the
Gulf of Mexico has received from time immemorial immense
deposits of earth and sediment from the great rivers which
flow into it. These deposits in the course of time became
thickly distributed over tbe bed of the sea, and by their
weight caused a general depression of the bottom throughout
the entire region. As the bottom gradually sank, a counter
thrust was produced which resulted in the appearance of
Florida, Yucatan, and perhaps some of the Islands of the
West Indies above the sea level,

The interior of the state may be divided into three distinct
parts. First comes the southern portion below the Everglades,
where the soil is principally an accumulation of drifting sands
collected behind the coral reefs which form its eastern border.
As we go farther north, the Lake region is entered and this

THE SAND-SPUR ,

19

again gives place in the extreme northern part to a region
where lakes are almost unknown, and where the few that are
found are simply small bodies of water which have almost been
obliterated by encroaching swamps.

The Lake region proper extends from the vicinity of
Waldo to Lake Kissimmee and includes a territory about
eighty miles wide and two hundred long in which the lakes
may be counted to the number of several thousand. They
vary in size from bodies of water fifteen or twenty miles in
diameter to others only a few feet across.

I11 connection with the lakes may he mentioned the so
called sinks or sink-holes, which are common in some counties
of the state. These are formed by the erosion of the lime¬
stone rock which forms their foundation. Some of them
exceed three hundred feet in depth, and are in all probability
connected by under-ground passages with distant lakes or
rivers, as the water with which they are filled very rarely
stands on a level with the surface of the surrounding lakes,

Tlie Lake region also abounds in large springs from
which the water flows in sufficient quantities to form rivers of
considerable size. The water in most of these springs is
impregnated with sulphurated hydrogen. The waters of Clay
Springs and of Silver Springs near Ocala are noted for tlieir
clearness, for it is said that a small piece of money can be
seen on the bottom thirty or forty feet t>elow the surface.
At Clay Springs there are six different openings, and as the
water from some of these differs in temperature and analysis
from that of the others, it is reasonable to suppose that they
have entirely different sources.

The land in the Lake region assumes a characteristic ap-
pearence common to all regions which have been submerged
and which have suddenly been raised above the surface of the
sea. Prof Shaler says:—“It appears to me that the most
reasonable explanation of these tossed sands which form the
rolling surface of this part of the country, is justified by the
supposition that the whole of Florida has recently been be¬
neath the level of the sea, and that during this period of
submergence the Gulf Stream swept across this portion of the

20

THE SAND-SPUE.

peninsula drifting the sands by the action of its current into
this complicated topography.” It is also his opinion that
the sand which we find on the surface shows evidences of greater
age than the underlying soil, showing that it has been im¬
ported from a considerable distance.

The Florida coast line shows few evidences of the presence
of the coral insect, except along the eastern l>order from Cape
Florida to Jupiter Inlet. Much of this coral has been raised
fifteen or twenty feet above the sea level, giving further evi¬
dence that Florida was once much lower than at present. This
reef acts somewhat as a barrier to the waters in the southern
part of the State, holding back considerable water and causing
much of the swamp land in the Everglades and around the
head of the St. Johns river. If a canal could be dug from the
Everglades to the ocean with a depth of twenty feet, much
valuable land could be reclaimed for agricultural purposes.

The mineral resources of the State are comparatively lim¬
ited. Of chief importance is the phosphate industry, which
during the past ten years has grown to considerable magni¬
tude. The phosphates are classed as hard and soft, the former
consisting of rock in various forms, and the latter of soft, finely
divided, friable substance. The rock contains, as a rule, a good
percentage of phosphoric acid and has proved for many mining
companies a profitable investment.

A few r valuable beds of Fuller’s earth, kaolin, cement, and
whiting have been discovered, but up to the present time little
has l>een done toward developing them.

Clay l)eds are plentifully scattered over the State. These
are useful in furnishing road material with which many miles
of good roads have been built, replacing the heavy sand roads
that are such a drawback to travel in our State.

In fact, all of Florida’s mineral resources are at present
undeveloped and there is no doubt that when they are exten¬
sively opened up they will be of vast importance from a com¬
mercial standpoint. N. L. B.

THE SAND-SPUR .

21

OUR VIEW OF ATHENS,

On Thursday afternoon, March fifteenth, the New Eng¬
land on which we sailed came to anchor in the Day of Salamis,
where centuries ago Xerxes was defeated by the Athenian
fleet. As I sat on deck that afternoon, T could not refrain
from wondering what Xerxes would think could he look
down upon the New England, with her huge bulk nearly
filling the harbor, A fresh wind was blowing, making it
dangerous to enter the snug harbor of Piraeus, but on awaking
Friday morning we found ourselves safe within the narrow
breakwater. We lauded in quaint sail boats and went directly
to the station to take the train for Athens, which is about
five miles distant. On the way we passed several cottages
and neat little villas resembling those of the summer resorts
along our Northern coasts. Soon we were at the historic
city—the long anticipated Athens.

Our first impulse was to hasten to the Acropolis, which
towers just back of the modern city. We walked from the
little station by the Theseum, stopping just long enough to
inspect the ruins, which are the best preserved of any in
Athens, and then, too intent to follow the circuitous street, we
went directly over Mars Hill to the Acropolis. At last we
stood upon this famous rock of which we had seen pictures,
and had read and dreamed for months. We could not realise as
we walked up the crumbling steps of the Propyke that we were
approaching the majestic ruins of the Panthenon. In front of
this temple native Greeks were hammering on Pentelic marble,
to be used in restoring or supporting different parts - and
where the renowned pediment must have been, was set a
staging on which more workmen were busy. On the northern
side of the Acropolis stands the temple of the Erecthlhun, and
on the west side and just to the right of the Propyl re rises
the little Temple of Wingless Victory.

From this center of interest we take carriages and drive
by the stadium, or race course, of Modern Athens, occupying
the space where it is supposed the Ancient Olympic games

22

THE SAND-SPUE .

were celebrated, and where only a few years ago some Amer¬
ican athletes distinguished themselves. The stadium is an
open amphitheatre built in U-shaped form, with stone seats
extending all around and including the race track. Several
of our energetic companions ran a foot race around the course.

Then we went to the Hotel Bretagne for luncheon, which
seemed to us excellent after our experience in the Orient,
During the afternoon we took a drive around the city and
observed the curious contrast of the Ancient with the Modem
Athens. For instance, near the ruins of the Temple of
Jupiter, which is in the midst of the new city, is a windmill
advertising the place of its origin, M Freeport, Ill., U. S. A. M
This is only one of the many instances iti which the old
mingles with the new.

Although Athens once possessed the wonders of the
sculptor's art, not only of Greece but also of the whole world,
yet to-day little of this remains to attest the Athenians’ love of
the beautiful. All the theatres and temples have been robbed
of their statues, which may be found in the many museums
scattered throughout Europe. The largest collection was
taken away by Lord Elgin, in the early part of the nineteenth
century, and presented by him to the British Museum. In the
museum at Athens only copies of these wonderful masterpieces
are to he seen. Most attractive to ine were the wonderful
excavations of Dr. Schliemann.

On the south slope of the Acropolis, not far apart, are the
two great theatres of Athens, the theatre of Herodes and that
of Dionysus, The latter, which is most noted, is greatly
dilapidated. The lowest row of seats bordering on the
orchestra consists of marble chairs for the nobility. These
are well preserved and on many of them the name of the
owner can still be distinguished.

One of the strangest sights in the streets of Athens is the
policeman. I saw one near the stadium. On his head was a
dark red fez with a black tassel hanging down to his shoulder.
His legs were dressed in close fitting white trousers with black
ribbon garters around the knee, on which were more black

THE SAND SPUR *

tassels* Around his waist was a short skirt standing out like
that of a ballet dancer and reaching only half way to the knee*
A black coat, extending part way over the skirt, partially con¬
cealed a short sword ; shoes turned up at the toe like a Vene¬
tian gondola completed the costume. However, we became
accustomed to this grotesque dress, as we saw many of the
native Athenians with costumes differing from it but slightly*
It was with great reluctance that we alt went aboard the
New England again, But notwithstanding our regrets at
leaving Athens, the beautiful sail down the harbor of Salamis
partly consoled us, and we watched the bills of Greece until
darkness hid them from view* Clara Burleigh.

VALUE OF ATHLETIC TRAINING FOR WOMEN,

Broader ideas regarding the mode of preparing our women
for life's duties are to-day held than were held two or three
generations ago. The chief endeavor on the part of parents
has been to develop m their daughter all the aesthetical qual¬
ities, while the training of the practical part of her nature, if
not held as absolutely undesirable for her welfare, was at least
not considered to be at all essential. In fact, the exhibition of
any very practical ideas on the part of the girl was held to be
rather unwomanly than otherwise. Games for a girl were held
to be undignified, aucl she was early taught that her pleasures
and the pleasures of her brother were widely divergent* It is a
universal law that in just as far as we oppose nature do wc
ourselves suffer ; the girl allowed to follow her natural inclina¬
tions, within a rational limit, is developed in the natural way.
The fact that a child has the desire to play is proof enough
that this desire was implanted in the child as a means of de¬
velopment of certain qualities, just as the desire for food is
implanted in us as a means of developing our physical being*

Women are said to be naturally “dependent” This is

24

THE SAND-SPUR

true, only in so fur as the parent has at last made dependence
natural r by generations of adherence to the conservative rules
regarding the education of the girl ; as a result we see so many
women of nervous temperament, lacking in self-control and
self-possession* The very necessity of defending and depend¬
ing on himself in his games has implanted and developed in
the boy endurance, courage and self-dependence ; qualities,
which are the foundation of success in life.

We have gradually been brought to realize that only by
developing the body by as scientific and thorough means as the
mind, does one reach the highest development of true manhood
or womanhood. To-day the girl is allowed the same health¬
ful competition in athletics as is the boy, and, as a result of
this greater freedom given her, has developed into a healthy,
courageous, self-possessed, and self-reliant woman, still retain¬
ing all the aesthetic qualities of her Fair ancestor.

Of the indoor athletic games used in Women's Colleges to¬
day, basket-ball has, I think, given the best results. It has
succeeded in creating and developing in woman an athletic
spirit ; and the enthusiasm it arouses cannot be questioned* In
this game, the powers of endurance and attention are developed
to their utmost, and too, a woman must abandon all thought of
self. The positions of guard and center call for endurance*
quick perception, and quick movement ; the position of for¬
ward calls for concentration, quickness, and accuracy. Thus if
basket ball is used intelligently, the players being placed by
some one having a knowledge of their individual needs, much
benefit may be derived from the game.

The out-of-door athletic games in which women have
taken interest 111 the past few years are tennis and golf. The
value of tennis is generally known, so little needs to be said in
its favor. When golf was first introduced in this country, the
former game became less popular, but it is gradually increas¬
ing in popularity and regaining the prominence it formerly
held in athletics. Indeed, there are too few good games for us
to allow one so valuable to go out. We cannot claim all for
one particular game. Each game possesses a particular value,

THE SAND-SPUR .

7 5

and while both tennis and golf train the eye, develop the power
of endurance, and afford a means of obtaining good all-around
exercise in the fresh air, the former game requires quickness
and the latter concentration. Hence tennis should be regarded
as the better game for a person lacking energy, and golf as the
better game for the nervous, highly excitable person.

Tennis was played by men for several years before women
became interested. But for some years previous to the intro¬
duction of golf into this country, women had been making
records for themselves in the former game, and thus at the ad¬
vent of something new they were prepared to show interest and
enthusiasm equal to that of tile men.

Therefore golf lias the advantage of being received with
equal readiness by both men and women, and is doubly valua¬
ble in that they are learning the game together. It is compe¬
tition of this sort—where the pleasures of the girl and the
pleasures of the boy combine in a healthful game—that will be
the means of creating a greater sympathy between them, and
which will result in a generation of men and women who will
better understand one another.

BIRD NOTES FROM NEW ENGLAND.

The spring of 1S93 will long be memorable to me, as one
whic introduced me to much of beauty in color, form, and
song, I well recollect the first bird that I identified. He came
with the dandelions, as I then thought. His bright yellow
feather coat, set off with black wings and tail and crowned
with a little black cap, flashed in and out among the tender
green of the larches from whose fresh cones he was gathering
his morning meal, singing the while a sweet canary-like song
of love and beauty. As I have said, I thought he had
just come ; but when in the fall of that same year I saw him in
a sombre coat of dingy brown, the black wings a trifle rusty
and his bosom gray with age, getting his scanty meal from the
seeds of the dry sunflower ; and later still, when a flock of

26

THE SAND-SPUR.

these same birds tried in vain to keep their footing on the ice-
crusted fields, I knew that my friend was not a new arrival in
the spring, but is with us all the year. When the first dan¬
delions come he dons his spring coat of bright yellow, but as
the earth grows brown and bare, he changes his clothing to
match these sombre hues. His song heard from the lofty
branch of a tree is like that of a canary, but be also sings in
the ecstasy of flight as he swings up and down high in the
blue ether. Have you guessed his name ? Spinus tristis,
Golfinch, of the family of the Fringillidae, the largest family
of North American birds.

My next friend, a member of the same family, was the
Chipping Sparrow. His dress is not so brilliant as that of his
yellow brother: a hack, best known to me as Sparrow brown
—really a mixture of black, rufous and gray—with a breast of
soft grayish white, and his head crowned with a dainty cap of
chestnut. This and his black forehead and bill are marked
characteristics. There is a white ribbon over the eye and a
black one from the base of the bill backward through the eye,
which distinguish him from his fellows. Those same sharp
eyes that can see from a tree, a horse hair lying in the path,
give him Ids more common name of horse hair bird. One spring
I saw a nest in the apple tree of a neighbor, who had been very
particular earlier in the season to put up against this tree a
large, plain sign, “no trespassing on these grounds, M Curi¬
ously enough, the branch against which the warning stood,
led directly to the home of Mrs. Chipping Sparrow and her
little household, whom I have watched many a time from a
distance with the aid of a glass. The song of the male is one
prolonged trill, very much like the noise of a cicada in the
heat of August. You can hear it almost any time of day in
its season and often as the shades of night are stealing over
mountain and bay, “chippy” can be seen with his tiny head
turned upward to catch the last ray of light from the evening
sky, trilling his long “good night/*

We have two sweet singers in this same family, in the
Purple Finch and the Indigo-Bird. You might not think that
purple and blue should be named so near together, but the

THE SAND-SPUR .

27

Purple Finch is not purple at all. This bird, not quite so long
as our Song Sparrow, is of a rosy red, with white on the belly
and wings, and tail a brownish fuscous, the outer web of the
feathers edged with rosy-red. He is a garden bird and the
morning I identified him was pouring forth his sweet song from
the top of a tree against which leaned the sign of this place
" For sale,” I fancy that neither he nor bis song could be
bought for money, free-hearted singer of the air.

The Indigo-Bird, only a few hundredths of an inch longer
than the Chipping Sparrow, is one of the few blue birds with
which oor New England trees and bushes abound. He is a
dark rich blue of a metallic lustre with black wings and tail.

I heard his sweet song for the first time j ust before the sun set
on a July evening, hooking for the singer, I found two Indi¬
go-Birds sitting on the telegraph wires near the bouse. First
one and then the other would fly down into the bushes beneath
them to encourage his mate, as it were, while she looked after
her little family and then alighting again on the wires would
sing a song of love almost so/to voce. The stillness of the hour,
the setting sun, the dark woods near by, and these two little
birds sitting side by side, breathing out their hearts to their
patient loves below is a picture not easily effaced from my
memory.

The Maryland Yellow Throat is one of the most abundant
of our warblers, and easily distinguished. He is not so shy as
some of liis near relations. “ Indeed," as Chapman has writ¬
ten of him, 41 you have only to pause near his home, when lie
will meet you half way." He has a nervous, energetic hop,
all the time saying "Chit, Fit, Quit " as he moves about in
the alder bushes. His song sounds to me like "Wichita,
Wichita, Wichita." Once in August, toward evening, I went
down to the “Gully," as we called it, a narrow passage
through the bushy banks to the salt water. Over its gravelly
path had trickled a rivulet, nearly dry at this time of year.
Little pools of water were standing in hollow places and here
the birds were accustomed to come in the early morning and
late afternoon to drink and bathe. I must have seen as many
as a dozen different kinds of birds here at one time. As I

THE SAND-SPUR .

28

waited for—I knew not what—I saw Mrs, Maryland Yellow
Throat in a bush on the left side and heard and saw him in the
bushes on the right. All at once he flew straight up into the
air, singing an entirely different song from any I had ever
heard before, and turning dropped into the bush beside her,
I queried if it might not be a song of love and good cheer to
her at this special moment of her timidity, but I read—in
Chapman again—that 41 111 August the Maryland Yellow
Throat adds a flight song to his repertoire M This is usually
heard toward evening,” he says, 44 when the bird springs
several feet into the air, hovers for a second and then drops
back to the bushes,”

Not far from this spot is Fly catcher-tangle, as we call it,
a fascinating place to the bird lover. Here is a low growth of
alder and other bushes with many old stumps and fallen trees.
In the midst of these stands a dead tree, some forty or fifty feet
in height. Here year after year for three years I had seen a
Flycatcher perched on the topmost twig of this tree, and for all
these long summers I had tried in vain to identify him. 1
knew that he must be a Flycatcher from his general coloring
and actions, and I was quite sure from his size and call that he
must be the Olive-sided Flycatcher. But the light seemed
never quite right for us to see at that distance, even with a
good glass, the olive on his sides. At last one morning I was
well rewarded for my persistent efforts as I identified him
without a doubt. I started out before six o'clock and just as
I stole cautiously up to the " tangle ” and raised my eyes to
the tree where I knew lie was to be, the sun came out in all
his glory, and I saw the olive on the sides of ray bird and I was
satisfied. All unconscious of the looker-on below, he stood on
that high pinnacle and preened his feathers, first on one side
and then on the other, so that every part of him was displayed
to view. And all the while that beautiful call rang out dearly
on the still air 41 Whit Phoeb,” st Whit Plioebee.” One can¬
not soon forget such a vision as that—the peace and beauty of
that morning hour aud the bird from that height far above the
terrors of the world below singing his pure, sweet song.

Nathalie Loko.

THE SAND-SPUR.

2t)

THE SAND-SPUR.

I*til>1Jtilled Uie Delpliic Debating Hncieiy «if RultitiH

College. Winter Park, Pin.

.... E^itor-in-Chief.
,♦ Assistant Editors.
Business Manager.

S. M. HERRICK...

MISS charlotte heath, \

C. R. JONES i

H, C, THOMPSON_......._

O, W, SADLER ...

Assistant Business Manager,

Thk Sand-Spur is on sale at M&xson’s, Winter Park, and al Curtis
& O'Neal's, Orlando; or copies can be obtained by addressing the
Business Manager,

For Advertising rates apply to Business Manager,

The editors of the Sand-Spur take pleasure in submitting
this issue to the students and alumni of Rollins College, We
have not attempted a very elaborate production on account of
tlte brief period allotted to us ; but hope through the generous
aid of our literary friends to make the Commencement number
a creditable one.

About two thousand and one, some student searching
deep in the archives of Rollins, collecting material for an essay
on the intellectual progress of the century, will look with
special interest on the records of nineteen hundred and one. By
these he will judge of the advancement made at the beginning
of the cycle ; every little item that throws light on the customs
or deportment of his predecessors will Ire of interest. There¬
fore, placed on so imposing a landmark in time, let us do our
best to show the student of two thousand and one that we
were active and alert.

Much to the relief of the occupants of Pinehurst the
oratorical contest is over and flights of eloquence will disturb
no more the silent meditations of those peace loving students.
Perhaps they did not realize, unassuming as the contest was,

3 <>

THE SAND-SPUR .

that it marks the beginning of a series to be held in this college
year after year. An Inter-Collegiate Association has been
formed and will hold its first tournament in Jacksonville on the
2 ist of February. This admirable organization has received
the hearty support of nearly all the educational institutions of
Florida. The general movement in this direction not only in
this state, but also throughout the country, shows that the old
time interest in oratory is reviving.

During the Xmas vacation a party of students from Rol¬
lins went hunting about fifty miles to the southeast, on
Taylor’s creek. They returned with glowing reports of the
game that abounds in that region. Deer are especially plenti¬
ful, and the campers shot four, quite enough to supply them¬
selves with venison. They said that it was only their dislike
of being wasteful that prevented them from shooting more.
This fine region for sport, comparatively, near, will probably
continue to attract those students whose homes are too distant
to !>e reached in a short vacation.

With much joy we note the recovery of Prof. Hills, whose
illness for a time deprived Rollins of a popular and efficient
instructor.

&

Has not the time arrived when Rollins students placed so
near a beautiful chain of lakes, should take more interest in
boating. Since Maitland run has l>een cleared and another
extensive lake made accessible, why not organize a club and
buy a commodious fleet ?

&

The Sand-Spur, going to press just at the arrival of the
Stetson team, wishes to extend a hearty welcome to Rollins’
opponents. We are glad the game, so promising in interest,
has not suffered delay.

THE SAND-SPUR .

31

The first Friday after school opened, a social evening at
the Gymnasium gave the new-comers a chance to become
acquainted, and old friends an opportunity to talk over the
vacation. Many new faces were welcomed, while some of the
old ones were sadly missed.

The evening of October 26th found Clover leaf brightly
lighted for the annual reception to be given by the Faculty
to the students and their friends. Those of us who had been
so fortunate as to have attended some of these receptions, pre¬
ceding years, anticipated this event with much pleasure ; and
certainly no One was disappointed. The palms and greens
used in decorating, formed a happy background for the receiv¬
ers, who took good care that not one of their guests should
have a chance to become lonely \ indeed this would have been
rather difficult, since the rooms were well filled and one could
see friends on every side. Then when one was tired of talk¬
ing. the waiters were ready with refreshing lemonade and
wafers.

The Christian Endeavor social at Mr. Maxson's was well
attended and greatly enjoyed. Much amusement was afforded
bv a row of small bottles, the contents of which were to be

THE SAND-SPUR ,

?a

guessed from the odor. Although nearly everyone was ready
to guess, there were few who succeeded in naming the contents.
The music, and also two or three amusing selections of Mrs.
Diffenderfer added much to the enjoyment of the evening.

Halloween was observed iti the Gymnasium with the well
known customs of the evening. The young men began the
fun by having a fancy dress parade down town, after which
they went to the dimly lighted Gymnasium, dimly lighted,
because some mischievous spirits had borrowed the large
lamps. There they found quite a number of ghostly figures
whom they were to identify, and it was rather amusing to note
how quickly some of the young men succeeded in this identifi¬
cation. After lx>bbing for apples for a while the ghosts disap¬
peared and a familiar company spent the next hour in careless
gaiety.

Great excitement prevailed on Election day, and at night
all the students and a few townspeople assembled at the
Gymnasium to hear the returns as they came from Orlando
over the telephone, which had lieen taken from Pinehurst to
the Gymnasium for that purpose. Since this was a special
occasion, the students were granted special privileges, and long
after the gathering broke up, music, sweet and otherwise, was
heard on the campus until the poor vicutims trying to sleep
were truely thankful that election nig lit does not come every
year.

Two recitals by pupils of the music department have been
given in the Gymnasium. Each was attended by an apprecia¬
tive audience composed of townspeople and students. The
program included piano solos, played respectively by Misses
Coan, Dickson, Robinson, Coombs, Brewer, Reasoned and
Earn son and Mr. Lawton; a violin solo by Miss Leonora
Niewenkamp: and two songs by Mr, Hannon. Miss Ricli
gave each evening a short talk on the history of music, that
was enjoyed by all.

Miss Bibbing wrote to a friend of hers, Mr. Henry L.
Haskell, Manager Ludiogton Novelty Co., Michigan, in
regard to his giving Cloverleaf special rates on Carroui or

THE SAND SPUR.

33

Crokinole boards; and the gentleman replied that he had
shipped to her, free of charge, a Carrom Gameboard, a Crown
Combination Gameboard, and an Eclipse Combination board.
These boards soon arrived and the young people show their
appreciation of his generosity by their zealous interest in the
games.

In the long list of student pleasures at Rollins, picnics to
Clay Springs stand first in the estimation of those who have
been fortunate enough to share them. There is something
exhilerating in the lmrry and bustle of an early start, and in
the arrival of the large picnic wagon drawn by four horses, all
reatly for the drive of sixteen miles through the woods. The
chute is without doubt the greatest attraction ; even the most
timid are usually persuaded to 11 go down just once. 1 ’ If they
do not enjoy the first attempt the onlookers certainly do. Two
Saturdays have been spent at the Springs by some of onr
young people who hope to go again before the year ends.

On the evening of January twelfth, Miss Beatrice Perkins
and Mr. Orville McDonald, former students of Rollins College,
were honored by a Faculty meeting, and the first wedding on
the Campus was celebrated. Dr. Ward performed the cere¬
mony assisted by the Rev. Mr. Sullivan. The President and
Mrs. Ward entertained the wedding party, and bridal gifts of
flowers and silver were not wanting.

ATHLETICS.

Basket ball has been the all absorbing game with the boys
during the past term. This game, which has become well
known only during the past two or three years, is assuming a
very important place in the athletics of most of the Eastern
colleges, and is now being introduced into those of the South
as well.

When it was suggested that we organize a team here the
idea was taken up with considerable interest, and after a few

HALKY, BAKER, MG' R, SADLER, JONES, UMPIRE, PRI-TON,
PHILLIPS, LOPEZ, CAFT,, THOMPSON,

GLEASON, BURRELL,

BASKET ISAL,L TEAM,

THE SAND-SPUR.

35

weeks practice the Orlando Rifles team was challenged, and a
game was secured. Needless to say, the interest shown was
great and everyone talked about the basket hall game. But
when the team returned a victor with a score of 9-8, and the
story of the game was told, the delight was much greater.
Since then two more games have been played with the same
team, each game resulting in a win for Rollins with scores of
9-2 and 7-0,

But of most interest were the two games with Stetson,
Good tiatured rivalry between the schools lias always been
great, and when it was finally arranged for us to go to DeLatld
on Thanksgiving day, everyone sincerely hoped that Rollins
would be the victor in the contest. When the boys returned
on the eventful day, and told how they had carried off all the
honors in both tennis and basket ball a shout of delight went
up from the less fortunate who remained at home, and our
determination was to win the next game of the, series at Rob
Bus to be played two weeks later. But it was not to be, for
the DeLand boys recaptured half of the honors and now the
results are even. So we are confronted with a third game, and
it only remains for us to practice, practice, practice, and win
it and cover ourselves with glory.

The regular gymnasium work has progressed uninterrupt¬
edly during the term under Mr, Navarro, the instructor, and
the boys present a very pleasing appearance in their new suits
as they work on the apparatus in the gymnasium.

Of late, tennis has been receiving its share of attention,
and many of the newer players are learning the game quite
rapidly, giving promise of considerable skill, A tournament
has been suggested by various interested ones and it is to be
hoped that it will be carried through.

Base ball is as yet a thing of the future, although with
those who have played on the team in past years and with the
new material there is every prospect of a team that will pul up
a good game against any other college in the state.

THE SAND SPUE.

36

JOKES.

A PLAINT,

*' Money to lend ! Money to lend V*

Oh, that the Gods would some one send
To soothe this ceaseless song of sorrow f
For my watch is t4 in soak”

And the boys are all M broke”

And it’s not a red cent Pm able to borrow,

Mr. and Mrs. T. and II. (observing compass).

Mr T. Why does’nt that needle point southwest ?

Mr. H. Why should it ?

Mr T. I thought Orlando was the centre of magnetism.

Why was Rollins a favorite resort last year ?

Because they had Mountain air (Montaner.)

Pinehurst Orchestra is now practicing one of Sousa's latest produc¬
tions.

First Boy—What time did you get to bed last night >

Second Boy—At a quarter of twelve.

Third Boy -1 thought you told me it was at three.

Second Boy—Well, isn't three a quarter of twelve ?

P.of. B.—I suppose you remember that specimen we had last time.
Miss R.—OH yes: it was conundrum. (Corrundum.)

Define Rurleigh.—Marge, Beth, Clara.

Professor Baker has some paper made of Talc, also an interesting
Geological Hammer on exhibition in his laboratory.

Ilets taken on any question at odds—Harmon, Herrick & Co. (Ltd.)
Orange Growers’ Protective Association—‘Lakeside.

Mr. S.—Do you remember when J threw that lighted lamp at B?

Mr. H.—No, but he must have been struck with de light.

Conundrum : What does Buck catch the Dickens on the campus for ?

Professor Ford.—Mr, Hathaway, define rent.

Mr. H.-—Rent is the reniooneration. Applause.

Love’s Labor Lost. Stewart.

THE SANthSPUft .

37

OUR CLASSMATES IN PROSE AND VERSE.

41 A lovely being scarcely formed or moulded;

A rose with all its sweetest leaves yet folded, ~S Adlkk.

THE COLLEGE VENUS. *

A lissome, blissome maiden, she.

Of age and aspect tender,

And her '‘athletic walk"—ah, me !

The sight doth love engender.

Great is Allah, ami Mahomet is his Prophet! Tme^once mone—is
the ancient saw' that a man is without honor in his own country ! There
dwells one among us who was bora to greatness ! One who, at the len¬
der age of seven or eleven, gathered shrimp on ice and made forty dol¬
lars in one day ! Great is Allah, and Mahomet is his Prophet! There
dwells one among us who killed sixteen snipe, at one fell swoop, and
in the might of his innocence willingly restored to them their uni in -
perilled lives, contented to return and tell the story !! Great is Thomp¬
son and the Sand Spur is his Prophet ! ! !

There's a youth l know,

( You know httti too ! )

With a grin like a Cheshire cat !

There 's a maid, also.

Whose eyeS“not bine—

Froze "it/* once, when he looked like that

When Able Apt Accessible Wicks
Imparted some information
He hid his thoughts with such cunning care
Folks did not guess they were even there
And said 14 Why in Creation ! ”

*' Instead of words of five-syllabled range
Ikies n*t he give us two or three in change? M
We offer the recommendation !

A FEW NEW YEAR S RESOLUTIONS,

RESOLVED, That Mr. Pinkerton should stop uncorking Wiles in
public. It produces an expectant frame of mind.

RESOLVED, That Miss Hardaway should not threaten iconoclaam so
frequently.

Resolved, That Oriil should keep himself visible.

Resolved. That Herrick should not keep so close to the Sand-Spur
as to wear it in his night Gown.

Resolved, That "Son" should not corner the market in small Lamps a

Resolved, That Ricardo should start a poultry farm, and that
Pinkerton should corner the market in pigs.

3®

THE SAND-SPUR.

COLLEGE LIFE.

A tired tire needed rest;

It left its wheel and rider.

To earth the lady it consigned,

Then lay flat down beside her.

The other lady coming bump
Upon this big obstruction
Just fell off too, without ado.

Their names—we cannot mention.

The ladies twain were sore distressed
They viewed each other sadly,

Orlando still w'as far away.

They wanted it so badly.

Tint joy ! A team then hove in sight.

Its wheels all nicely tired,

A mule to furnish motive power.

Two men who were inspired !

They put that w heel into that cart,

The lady climbed in. too.

And then unto Orlando dear,

They all most gaily flew.

College and Tom's place are linked by such a strong tie that we
often wonder what one could do without the other. Xxi this Sybarite ball
all important questions are debated. Sometimes quite weighty problems
are discussed by Torn and the young ladies, each firiulv believing his or
her side to he right,

I am in a dilemma. I know something that should he revealed
and yet I promised not to tell. 1 have consulted the editor of the Santt
Spur about it (and of course the editor knows) and he says, “Tell it,
tell it by all means, but for my sake be easy on the boys." Then he
sagely remarked. “A bad promise is better broken than kept/’ I love to
think on his youth fid wisdom. It decided me. The promise rests w'ith
him that it shall go no further. On this account I agree to tell and shall
consider it unwise to give details and names. Now by way of prepara¬
tion t might say, it is not a matter of very serious import, except to the
chief actors. And now my story begins

A few weeks ago the Stetson boys were booked for a game of
Basket Ball at Rollins, No, there was nothing fun si v about that, only

THE SAND SPUR.

39

that our boys were beaten and were blue and green and white and yel¬
low in consequence. Two days before the game two young men (1
positively refuse to tell names, the editor knows, ask him), started
about four p. m. with the college team to Orlando for b. b, shoes. 1
hope my mentioning the b. b. shoes will give no clue to names. A little
explanation is necessary here and I trust I shall not be considered too
critical in saying so, but the college horse is not over swift, that is to say
one can walk to Orlando and make better time than the horse. This
explains much that happened to these two young men. It rained. It
was raining when they reached Orlando and was pouring when they left.
These two young men were too conscientious to borrow an umbrella
fearing the owner might never again see it. They started home. They
say it was the darkest night of the 19 th century. How they know
this I do not question, they being of the G. W. type. They wended
their way slowly and surely to within three-quarters of a mile of Winter
Park when all of a sudden there was a crash and smash and they found
themselves on the ground. What had happened it only took a moment
to discern. They had dashed into a heavy two-horse team, (perhaps
vice versa) the driver of which spent sometime in saying how very sor¬
ry he was that he had knocked ail the spokes out of one of their wheels,
and then drove on It was so com Tor Ling to the young men to know
that he was sorry. It lightened their load, for remember by this time
they were soaked ; they had a big box of b. b. shoes to carry* the cushion
from the wagon seat* besides a quantity of well-watered horse feed that
they had offered to carry to Winter l J jrk as a neighborly act* and the
horse to lead* In this plight they reached the college- While stabling
the horse* William appeared and asked, “where is the wagon?” O, —
why we left St on the other side,” It was too dark for William to sec
the indefiniteness of this reply.

Scenes That night there were two alarm clocks set for three a*
in. At that hour long before day* these two young men might have been
seen in neglige costume bringing that unfortunate wagon to the college,
so that William might find it “on the other side” when he arrived
What a picture for three o’clock in the morning! A wagon on three
wheels with a rail to supply the forrth, one young man seated oil the
protruding end of the rail as a balance for the wagon bed, and the other
young man riding the horse and carrying a lAtUcrn. At the request of
the young man that rode the rail they frequently changed positions.
And now I shall leave it for the editor and one of the post-graduates*
two gentlemen who really know much more about this affair than I do,
to tell how the two young men dried their clothes in a closet with lamps.
I close with a clear conscience.